The Party
by heartofglass25
Summary: The big end of the year party is thrown, but bad things result. After Manny mistakenly puts drugs in Paige's drink, a car accident occurs with JT as the victim. Emma also feels responsible (after her fight with JT)...FINISHED!
1. The Setup

(A/N: welcome to my new story! Just for a heads up, this will probably be a good, juicy, long one hehe. Ok well let's get started!)  
  
Emma sat at home, feeding Jack. It was 6:15 on a Friday evening, but she wished the clocks would go back a few hours. In forty-five minutes, Emma had to go with Chris to a pretty big party. School was going to end in three weeks, so this was sort of an early celebration. That's why both grade tens and nines were invited. This sounded like it could be a blast, but Emma was completely dreading it.  
  
Chris wasn't the reason, however. Emma loved hanging out with him. But the party itself was why Emma didn't want to go. Pretty much all of the grade tens thought she was the lamest thing ever – well, except for Craig. But it wasn't like he was going to talk to her. So she'd have to hang around her fellow grade nines – JT, Manny, Toby, Sean, and Chris of course. She knew that Chris was going with her, so it wasn't like he was going to ignore her. But he's pretty popular, and she couldn't blame him if he got distracted and had to go hang with some of his friends. And these people were definitely not Emma's crowd. Manny, of course, was not an option to hang out with. Same with Sean, he and Emma were two completely different people now. And as for JT and Toby, well, Emma was kind of freaked out by Toby ever since she found out he used to like her and JT was pretty much obsessed with Manny. So he was probably going to follow her around all night.  
  
'Maybe I'm over-thinking this.' Emma thought. She glanced at the clock and noticed that it was 6:40 already. "Okay, I've DEFINITELY been over-thinking this." she said to herself as she stood up and put Jack in his cradle. Immediately after, Emma ran to her room so she could find something to wear.  
  
Meanwhile, Paige and Spinner were on their way to the party. Paige was driving, but she was pretty nervous behind the wheel. After all, she had never been to this house before so she was shaky on the directions. Plus, it was getting dark out.  
  
"Okay, he said make a left at Lake Street, right?" she asked Spinner.  
  
Spinner was busy reading the back of his two spray cheese cans he was bringing. "Woah, all of this in one can?"  
  
"Spinner! I need help, here."  
  
"What? Oh, sure, Honeybee."  
  
"What does that street sign say?"  
  
"Sweet...cheddar." Spinner had gone back to concentrating on the cheese.  
  
"Cheddar?" Paige asked, clueless. "We're supposed to be on Maple Str – oh," she realized Spinner wasn't talking about the sign. Paige sighed and saw a house with loud music ahead. Her face brightened. "Yes! We're here."  
  
Spinner looked up. "Awesome, great driving, PumpkinBunny."  
  
Paige giggled as she and Spinner got out of the car and ran up to the front door, being greeted by other friends at the party already.  
  
Finally, around 7:15, Emma and Chris walked in. Across the room, they could see JT and Manny. "Hey, wanna go over there?" Chris asked.  
  
Emma really didn't, but she agreed to anyway. "Sure. Let's go." she said as she forced a smile. With that, Chris and Emma approached JT and Manny, talking nearby the refreshment table.  
  
"Hey, Manny. JT." Chris greeted. Emma just stood next to Chris, hiding a little. But she still kept the forced smile on her face.  
  
"Hey guys." JT said.  
  
Manny looked Emma up and down with some attitude. "Hey."  
  
Emma was tired of this. She didn't want to be the one who was silent in the conversation. So she just ignored Manny and said "I can't believe school's almost over."  
  
"I know, the year totally passed by like that." Chris joined in.  
  
"Well, at least the teachers are laying off homework. Thank god for the last few weeks. They're always easy." JT commented.  
  
As the rest of the group talked, Manny noticed some more soda bottles being taken over to the table. "Um, JT, I'm just gonna go get a drink."  
  
"Okay." JT nodded.  
  
Manny smiled and walked over to the table. Sully was getting himself a Sprite. "Oh hey, Manuella."  
  
"Hey Sully." Manny said quietly under her breath as she grabbed a paper cup.  
  
"Having fun?"  
  
"I really don't feel like talking."  
  
"You want a party favor?" he said as he pulled something out of his jacket. It was a small bag. It had drugs in it.  
  
Manny couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Sully, what is wrong with you?"  
  
"Geez, chill. This is a decent party." Sully threw the drugs on the table and walked back over to his friends. Manny stared at the bag. Eventually, she slyly took one of the pills out and began to turn and walk back over to the group. But when she saw Emma coming this way, obviously to get a drink, she quickly dropped the drug in one of the already poured drinks and walked past Emma toward JT and Chris.  
  
(A/N: Ah, cliff-hangers. Sorry if you thought the first chapter was plain, but then again it always is. Trust me, there will be more fiascos to read about. Please please please w/ a cherry on top review!) 


	2. Trouble Heats Up

(A/N: yay for updates! Ok on w/ the story...)  
  
Manny walked back over to JT and Chris. "Hey...oh, where'd Emma go?" she asked innocently.  
  
"She got thirsty." Chris answered.  
  
"Hey where's your drink?" JT asked.  
  
'Oh, crap.' Manny thought. She just realized she hadn't even brought back a drink, she was so distracted. "Um, well it turns out there's no Pepsi. I thought there was but there's only Sprite and uh, Coke."  
  
JT shrugged. "Okay."  
  
'Phew. That was a close one.' Manny thought.  
  
Emma approached the refreshment table. She reached to pick up a cup of already poured soda when suddenly she heard her name being called. She looked up and saw Ashley coming her way.  
  
"Hey Emma, I didn't know you were coming." she said once she was closer.  
  
"Um, yeah. I'm here with Chris." Emma replied as she nodded slowly.  
  
"Cool." Ashley seemed to have her hands full with several bags of chips. She handed Emma a few of them. "Hey, do you think you could bring those into the kitchen for me? I promised I'd bring extra chips so, that kinda explains this." she said as she laughed a little.  
  
Emma reluctantly took them and said "Sure. See ya later."  
  
Emma made her way into the empty kitchen and set the chips down on the counter. Afterwards, she leaned back against the refrigerator and let out a huge sigh. But a few seconds later, she began to hear some mumbling voices coming from the other room. Not where the party was taking place, but a different room behind the kitchen. Out of her natural curiosity, Emma slowly peeked around the corner of the kitchen and saw two figures talking.  
  
"Come on man, don't be a coward."  
  
"I'm not..."  
  
"You've gotta understand – he deserves this."  
  
"So? Isn't there any other stupid way to get back at him?"  
  
"Of course there is, but think about it! He takes one step into this party and BANG! He gets it."  
  
"Whatever, man."  
  
Emma's mouth hung open in shock. She knew who these people were, and she knew who they were talking about – Sean.  
  
Meanwhile, back at the party, Spinner, Paige, and Jimmy were hanging out. They were just enjoying themselves, minding their own business. A few minutes later, one of the guys who was hosting the party came over to them, holding a six-pack of beer. "Anyone want one?" he offered. Spinner smiled. "Sweet." Jimmy broke in. "No, no. Spin – you're an idiot."  
  
"Come on Jimmy, I'm just kidding around."  
  
"Right."  
  
"Look do you guys want some or not?" the host asked with a rude tone. Paige nervously got up. This reminded her of Dean's party when she drank some beer. "I'm, um, I'm just gonna get something else. I'll be right back." Paige was already on her way over to the refreshment table.  
  
Jimmy sighed. "We don't." he told the host.  
  
Once Paige arrived at the table, she took a deep breath and calmed herself down. She easily took back her happy attitude and picked up a drink. She took a sip of it, smiled, and headed back over to Jimmy and Spinner.  
  
(A/N: dun, dun, dun! Yup, that was THE drink. I bet you all thought i was gonna make Emma have it, huh? Well nope but there is gonna be a big drama for Emma later. Same with Paige, JT, and more. Oh, and yes, i'm keeping you in suspense of who the evil guys were that were talking about Sean. You'll just hafta keep reading to find out who they are and why they're after him. But until then, you must review!) 


	3. Manny's Mistake

It was now 8:00 at night. But the party had just begun. More and more people were pouring in and it was getting even more exciting by the minute. Emma nervously hung around with Chris while eating some pretzels. Just a few minutes later, she glanced at the doorway and saw Sean come in. Many thoughts ran through Emma's mind. She really didn't care what happened to him anymore, but it felt totally wrong not to warn him about what she heard. Emma didn't want anything on her conscience. 'But why should I care? I'm so sick of him and I've helped him enough. All I ever get in return is him stealing laptops from men with cancer.' But Emma just couldn't pull back her natural intentions. She had to get into this, even if she didn't want to.  
  
"Um, Chris, I'll be right back, okay?"  
  
"Alright. I'm gonna go see Jeff over there. Just come find us when you're done." Chris replied with a nod.  
  
Emma smiled a little. "Cool." With that, she made her way over to Sean. Once she was in front of him, she said "Sean..."  
  
He looked annoyed. "What is it, Emma?"  
  
"Look, I just need to tell you something, okay?"  
  
"Emma, can't I at least go to a party without you getting into my life?"  
  
"It's important, Sean!"  
  
"Yeah, okay, what could be so important that you have to –"  
  
"Jay is here."  
  
Sean became silent. He had a look of fear in his eyes. "He – he is? Wait, how do you...do you even know about –"  
  
"I over-heard them, Sean. I don't know what you did! All I know is that whatever it was, it made them mad and now they're up for a little pay- back."  
  
"I know, I know, I'm the one actually involved here, remember?"  
  
"Just tell me what's going on!"  
  
"Why do you care?!" Sean yelled angrily.  
  
Emma stopped. She really didn't know the answer to that question. "I – I don't know."  
  
The two became silent for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually, Sean started to walk over to the stairs and motioned for Emma to follow. "I'll explain if you promise to keep quiet. I'm just not saying anything down here." Emma looked around really quick to make sure no one was looking and then quickly ran up the stairs to follow Sean.  
  
Manny and JT were at the other side of the party looking through some CD's. But Manny wasn't having any fun. JT spoke up. "Manny, what's going on with you tonight?"  
  
"Nothing." Manny lied as she avoided eye contact with JT.  
  
"Well, then...why are you so quiet? You're never like this."  
  
"I'm fine, JT." Manny muttered quickly. 'No, I'm not fine.' she thought. 'Sully is a loser to me, everyone thinks I'm a slut, none of my old friends will speak to me and you, JT, are the only one who still likes me but you hang around me way too much, watching my every freakin' move!'  
  
JT looked disappointed. "Okay, well, uh, I'm gonna just go and get some food." But once JT left, he decided he wasn't going to get food. He was too pissed off at Manny to hang out with her any longer. He could tell that she wasn't having any fun with him tonight. 'Fine. Geez, if she's gonna be so stuck-up toward me then I'm just gonna go hang out with someone else tonight.' On that note, JT made his way through the crowd to find some of his other friends.  
  
Manny, however, had no idea what JT was up to – and frankly, she didn't care. She turned her head toward some older kids at the party and noticed the packs of beer near them. 'Well, drugs are one thing. Beer is another.' Thinking that beer was nothing but soda with extra flavor to make you feel good, Manny walked over and slyly took one of the beer cans. She opened it, hesitated a little, and took a sip.  
  
(A/N: oh, and this is just the beginning! All of these are setups that lead to bigger, juicier stuff. So please please please w/ another cherry on top review!) 


	4. Sean Spills the Secret

(A/N: ok and now for an update! Mwa ha...ok lol here we go...)  
  
Sean leaned against the wall in the hallway, waiting for Emma to catch up with him. Once she was in the hallway as well, she stood in front of him and asked, "Okay, so what is it?"  
  
Sean sighed. "You know those guys from Bardell? The ones that, uh, sorta have a grudge against Jay?"  
  
Emma stayed silent, with an obvious look on her face that said she had no idea what he was talking about. Sean sighed again. "Okay, well now you do."  
  
"So, what, you got in a fight with them or something?"  
  
"Not exactly."  
  
"Well, then, what happened?"  
  
"I..." Sean started. "I spilled some really bad info to them."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean, that, I told them...something that I shouldn't have told them, okay?"  
  
Emma really wanted to ask what it was that he told, but she figured it was best not to get into the situation anymore than she already had. "Well, okay, so, now Jay's mad at you I'm guessing?"  
  
"More than mad. He's gonna kill me when he finds me."  
  
"I know." Emma muttered. Immediately after she said that, Emma realized that she really shouldn't have said it. She became really nervous. Sean looked up at her with his eyes widened. "You know...what?"  
  
Emma said nothing.  
  
"You know, what?!" Sean became angry. "What, he really IS gonna kill me?!"  
  
"Look, Sean, I just heard him saying 'bang, he gets it' and I'm pretty sure I could see a gun in his hand! Now do you see why I had to tell you this?!" Emma said quickly and sharply. Sean put his hand on the back of his neck with anger in his face and began to walk downstairs. Annoyed, Emma followed him.  
  
Down at the party, a few people could hear Sean and Emma talking as they came downstairs. A few heads turned, including Chris'.  
  
Emma wanted to say something else to Sean, but she had no idea what. Before she knew it, Sean was already on his way out the door. Emma sighed angrily and folded her arms as she sat on the bottom of the stairs. A few minutes later, Chris came over. "Hey."  
  
Emma looked up. "Oh, hey Chris. Look, I'm really sorry I was gone for so long, I just –"  
  
"Just wanted to go see Sean?"  
  
Emma froze. "You saw me?"  
  
"It was pretty hard not to hear ya, Em."  
  
"Look, Chris, I promise, it was no big deal."  
  
"Well, what was going on then? I mean, if you're still into him then –"  
  
"No! Chris, listen to me! It wasn't like that, it's just, there was something really important I had to tell him."  
  
Chris paused. "What? What was it?"  
  
"Um, nothing. Just something I had to warn him about."  
  
Just then, some party guests passed by. One whispered, "Looks like Emma and Sean are back together again." They both giggled. The other said, "Yeah, but could she have picked a better time?" The two laughed once again as they left the area. Chris turned his head away from them and said "Well, I'm gonna go over and talk to Jeff and Eddie. See ya some other time, Em."  
  
Emma couldn't believe this. She stood up. "Chris, wait!" But he was already on his way over to his friends. Angrily, Emma grabbed her jacket off of a chair she left it on and began to walk out, but someone stopped her. "Heeyyy, where are you going, Emma?"  
  
(A/N: yeah, i thought it was time for a cliff-hanger! Okay well there are still more things that are gonna happen of course so you must review for me to update!) 


	5. The Bad Consequences

Emma had a confused look on her face. "Manny?"  
  
"Um, yeah?"  
  
Emma didn't know what to say. Manny just seemed a little...off. "Um, what are you – eh, never-mind."  
  
Manny giggled and rolled her eyes. "Oh, whatever, Emma. Soo, like I said. Where are you going?"  
  
Emma thought for a second and then said, "I'm going home, Manny."  
  
"Home? On a night like THIS?"  
  
"Look, it's a long story."  
  
"Ooohhhh, you mean Sean and you are like back together and fighting as usual, right?"  
  
Emma's eyes widened. 'This is unbelievable!' she thought. "How the hell does everyone know all of a sudden?! I mean, NO, no, we're not back together, okay?"  
  
"Alright, alright, geez, Em. You are SO mellow-dramatic."  
  
"Mellow dr – Manny, are you okay?"  
  
"'Course I am. Well, I'm off to the dance floor." Manny laughed as she walked away. Emma watched her carefully as she walked. She seemed a little, off balance. "Uh-oh." Emma thought out loud to herself.  
  
Meanwhile, Spinner and Jimmy were playing air-hockey while Paige and Hazel stood aside chatting. Jimmy just scored a goal. "Yes! Five to two, try to beat that, Mason."  
  
"Watch me." Spinner replied.  
  
Paige hiccuped. "Guys, stop, you're giving me a headache."  
  
Spinner turned a little toward her but was still concentrating on the game. "What's wrong, Honeybee?" he quickly brought his full attention back to the game. "Oh! Five to THREE!"  
  
Paige pushed her hand to the right side of her head. "Ohh, god, Hazel. I feel terrible."  
  
"Wanna go get some water?" Hazel offered.  
  
"No, I'm NOT thirsty, people!"  
  
Jimmy glanced at the girls and said, "Woah, think you're over-reacting a little there, Paige?"  
  
"Shut UP, I can't take this." Paige hiccuped again. "Agh! And now I've got the hiccups!"  
  
Jimmy laughed a little. "Um, you've had those for a while tonight, Paige."  
  
"What? No I haven't."  
  
"Yeeahh, you have."  
  
"Jimmy! If I had the hiccups I would remember, okay?"  
  
Jimmy scored another goal and smiled. "Suit yourself." he said as he looked at Spinner.  
  
Spinner shook his head. "I swear, I'm gonna win."  
  
Paige threw her jacket she had been holding on the couch. "That's IT! I'm leaving." she said as she began to walk away.  
  
"Paige!" Hazel called after her.  
  
"I'm just going to the washroom." Paige muttered as she left the room.  
  
Once Paige was in the opposite area of the house, she over-heard some grade nines laughing about nothing – probably about typical gossip. But after about ten seconds, another one of their friends came over and made some lame joke. But for some reason, Paige started laughing. She actually couldn't stop. She could barely hold herself up to keep walking.  
  
Finally, Paige made it to the washroom. She leaned on the sink as she continued to giggle constantly. She had no idea why she was laughing so hard though. She actually couldn't even remember what it was that was so funny. Paige stared at herself in the mirror. She looked terrible. Her eyes were red, her face was turning very pale, and her hair was falling more and more by the minute. "Oh, god, what's happening to me?" she thought out loud. 'I can't believe this. Am I sick? Ohhh, I really don't feel good.' Paige moaned. She began to shake a little. "Oh my god, what's happening?! What's happening?" Paige threw as much water as possible on her face as fast as she could. After about a minute of rapidly pouring water, Paige started to calm down a bit, and feel normal. At least, she thought she was normal. "Okay, I – I'm, I'm okay." Paige paused. "I'm okay..."  
  
(A/N: oh but that's what she thinks! Please review if you want me to update!) 


	6. The Secrets Spread

(A/N: first i'm just gonna clear a few things up for some of my reviewers who were confused: Paige was the one who got the drink w/ the drug in it. so yes, she took the drug, not Manny. Manny is drunk after beginning to drink some beer around chap 3 i think. Ok well now that we've established that, let's continue!)  
  
Paige slowly came out of the washroom. She sighed and began to make her way back over to her friends. But since she was so pre-occupied thinking about everything that was going on, she accidentally bumped into someone. She looked up and saw JT in front of her. "Oh. Sorry."  
  
"That's alright. So, what have you been up to tonight?"  
  
"Just...nothing, I'm fine." Paige said realizing that he didn't ask her if she was fine.  
  
JT had a confused look on his face. "Okay...so uh, you wanna go get a drink or something?"  
  
Paige seemed pretty uncomfortable.  
  
"Or, uh, not. If you don't want to." JT continued.  
  
"No, no, fine. I don't wanna go back to my idiot boyfriend with loser and company over there."  
  
"Wh – are you mad at them or something? What happened?"  
  
"Everything, happened. Just get me my drink, okay?"  
  
JT nodded as he reluctantly led Paige over to the drinks.  
  
Meanwhile, Emma thought she would give another shot at talking to Chris. She was so mad at Sean. 'Ugh, that's the last time I'm helping him. You try to save his life, and he makes it so everyone thinks you're back together with him!' Emma knew that none of that made sense and that it really wasn't Sean's fault that everyone was suddenly gossiping about them, but she was just so confused and angry. Finally, she approached Chris. "Hey."  
  
Chris sighed and looked down. "Em..." he said as he looked back up.  
  
"Chris, I'm really, really, sorry. I mean, wait, no, there's actually nothing to be sorry about. That's the thing. You see –"  
  
"I know what happened, Emma."  
  
"No, you don't! Didn't you see –"  
  
"I saw –"  
  
"You saw me warning him about them!"  
  
"Who?"  
  
Emma pointed behind Chris where Jay had just walked by. "Them!" But by the time Chris turned around, they were gone. Just two girls were left. Chris turned back to Emma with a confused look and said, "Who? Brooke and Anna?"  
  
"No! They – they just left!"  
  
"WHO?"  
  
"His dumb gang!"  
  
"What, Jay and them?"  
  
"Yes!" Emma sighed. "God, why is it so hard to tell you ANYTHING?"  
  
Chris rolled his eyes. "Okay, whatever, Em."  
  
Emma froze. She had no idea what Chris meant by that.  
  
"Yeah, fine, you had to 'warn Sean' about his own gang." Chris continued sarcastically.  
  
"Chris! They're –"Emma looked around and lowered her voice. "They're trying to kill him."  
  
Chris wasn't sure if he should believe this or not. "What? Why?"  
  
"I don't know! I mean, I do, but –"  
  
"Well, then what is it? What's going on? What if they shoot at this party or something?"  
  
"I can't tell you, Sean promised me not to tell. I mean I promised him."  
  
Chris honestly didn't know what to say to Emma. He didn't know what to think or what to believe. So he just put his hands up and said, "Okay."  
  
With that, he walked away, leaving a depressed Emma alone in the corner.  
  
(A/N: hmmm, maybe that was a pretty dumb chapter, but it was kind of a setup for the next one. So please review!) 


	7. Emma's Accused

Chris walked through the party crowd with many thoughts running through his mind. He had no idea what to think of this. He didn't know whether or not he should believe Emma. It did seem pretty crazy. 'What could have Sean done that was so bad, his gang would want to kill him? That's the thing. He probably didn't do anything. That's why Em wouldn't tell me what it was. Since when does she keep promises for Sean? And why does she want to help him? Why would she warn him?' But Chris' thoughts were interrupted when he noticed Manny walking toward him. "Heeyy, Chris. Got sick of Emma? What, was she talking too much about the whales?"  
  
"No...she's fine."  
  
"Well, okay then maybe I can talk to you about something. You know, like, have you ever been so mad at someone you want to kill them?"  
  
"Uh, I don't know."  
  
"Yeah, that's me and a CERTAIN SOMEBODY." Manny giggled. She turned her head toward some grade tens. Chris looked too and saw them. "Craig? Woah, look, Manny, I know you're having some problems with him now but –"  
  
"But nothing. He's wasted soooo much of my time. First in grade eight, I actually thought he wanted to dance with me, Molly Ringwald..." (A/N: remember, that's who she dressed up as at the 80's dance)  
  
"What?"  
  
"...and then he takes me over to the carnival. God, I hate those stupid balloons and clowns."  
  
"Manny –"  
  
"'Oh Manny, it's not the locker, it's YOU!' "she continued, mocking Craig. "Those were the last words he said to me before this year. MY year."  
  
"What year?"  
  
"Oh, you didn't even notice the metamorphosis, 'cause you weren't here." Manny's eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, can you believe that?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Gosh, the only time I use wonderful big words like that is when I'm not at school. If only Hatzilakos could see me now..."  
  
'I can imagine.' Chris thought as he sighed to himself. "Alright, Manny, I've gotta be going."  
  
"You know, I'm gonna tell him off."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"You know who." Manny said as she began to walk over to the grade tens. Chris watched and muttered to himself, "Ohh, man."  
  
'Watch out, Craig...' he thought.  
  
Meanwhile, JT and Paige were returning from getting their drinks. They passed by Chris and noticed Manny yelling some nonsense at Craig. "Ugh, can't I get any freakin' silence around here?! Something's ALWAYS happening!" Paige said angrily.  
  
JT ignored Paige and carefully watched Manny. 'What's going on with her tonight?' he wondered. "Why is she acting so...out of it?" he asked Paige without thinking.  
  
"Oh, it's just another one of her tantrums. Yup, all Craig."  
  
Suddenly, Manny threw something down at the floor which made a loud shattering sound. But JT couldn't tell what it was. Immediately after, Manny covered her mouth with one hand and held her stomach with the other. She quickly ran out of the room. Most of the group around Craig was staring at him. Embarrassed, he picked up whatever it was that Manny threw. Right as Manny passed by JT, he quickly asked, "Manny, are you okay? What's going on?"  
  
"Leave me alone, JT!" she yelled as she ran by.  
  
JT stood in shock. He was so worried, he had no idea what was happening. This party was falling apart.  
  
Emma saw the entire thing from the corner. With a huge sigh, she slowly walked over to the refreshment table. But once she got there, she noticed something. There was a small bag behind one of the bottled sodas. Emma leaned over the food and carefully picked it up. It was the drugs Sully had brought earlier. Emma froze, still concentrating on the bag. But her thoughts were interrupted by a voice. "Emma?! Are those your's?!"  
  
It was JT. Emma stammered. "Oh, no, no. JT, these aren't –"  
  
"Why do you have drugs? Are you insane?!"  
  
"No! I –"  
  
Suddenly, JT thought of something. Emma stopped and watched him. "What? What?!"  
  
"That's what's wrong with Manny, isn't it?" he thought out loud.  
  
"Wh – what?"  
  
"You gave her drugs, just to get back at her, didn't you?!"  
  
"WHAT? No! JT, I swear to god –"  
  
"Just...forget it. Everyone's screwing me over tonight."  
  
Emma's heart dropped. She couldn't lose JT. He was one of her best friends. But it was too late. JT couldn't even think. As he walked away, he had just lost himself already. Something deep down told him that Emma wasn't to take the blame for anything. He knew he wasn't thinking straight. But he just didn't know what to do anymore.  
  
(A/N: dun, dun, dun. There's more to come, but you must review!) 


	8. The Big Bang

(A/N: sorry for the long wait! Ok finally time to continue!)  
  
A few minutes passed, and Craig was left by himself, sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. Emma knew this 'Manny/Craig/Ashley Thing' was none of her business, but as usual, she blocked that thought out and decided to go talk to Craig. After all, she had no one else to talk to.  
  
"Hey." she greeted plainly.  
  
Craig looked up and leaned back. "Hey."  
  
An awkward silence occurred, so Emma sat down next to Craig. "Um, I'm sorry about what happened."  
  
"It wasn't your fault." Craig replied with a sigh.  
  
"Yeah, but, I just wanna let you know, I don't think Manny would have done all that if she wasn't..."  
  
Craig was curious now. "What? If she wasn't what?"  
  
"Just..."  
  
"What is it, Em?"  
  
"I think she took some drugs, okay?"  
  
Craig was shocked. "What? That doesn't sound like her."  
  
"Yeah, well, it doesn't matter anyway, 'cause now JT thinks they're mine."  
  
"The drugs?"  
  
"Yes, the drugs. God, I hate getting blamed for crap that wasn't even my fault."  
  
Craig stood up. "Been there already."  
  
Emma knew what he was talking about. And there were a million things more she wanted to say. But she decided to just leave it at that.  
  
Suddenly, a huge bang was heard throughout the house. Most of the kids panicked and ran outside. Emma shot up from the couch and yelled at Craig, "What was that?!"  
  
"It sounds like a gun, get out of here, NOW, Em!"  
  
Panicked, Emma ran outside as fast as she could. Craig followed her.  
  
Emma ran to the back of the house, while most people were in the front yard. She noticed some figures running out back as her eyes widened. It was Jay. But he was quickly out of sight. After him, she saw someone else come out...it was Sean. Emma couldn't believe her eyes. 'What's he doing back here?!' she thought.  
  
Sean accidentally took a quick glance at Emma. Once he saw her looking right back at him from afar, he dashed away. To where, Emma didn't know.  
  
Meanwhile, Manny had just came out of the washroom. She had felt really sick and threw up a few times. "Where is everyone?!" she yelled. Without thinking, she ran outside and bumped into Paige and Spinner. "Ow!" Paige yelled. "I've already got a terrible headache, make it worse, why don't you?!"  
  
Manny felt completely out of it. "I – I'm – I'm sorry, Paige. I –"  
  
"We – are leaving, Spinner. Now!" Paige began to walk toward the car she was driving but tripped over her own feet on the way. Spinner ran over. "Paige, are you okay?"  
  
"Just fine." she managed to say under her breath as she got up.  
  
"Um, hey why don't I drive?"  
  
"No. I think I can drive."  
  
"Paige, I don't think you can –"  
  
"Spinner! I'm driving! Now come on."  
  
As the two began to walk toward the car, Manny watched. As bad as she was feeling, she could tell Paige was worse. And just then, it hit her.  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
"You want a party favor?" Sully said as he pulled something out of his jacket. It was a small bag. It had drugs in it.  
  
Manny couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Sully, what is wrong with you?"  
  
"Geez, chill. This is a decent party." Sully threw the drugs on the table and walked back over to his friends. Manny stared at the bag. Eventually, she slyly took one of the pills out and began to turn and walk back over to the group. But when she saw Emma coming this way, obviously to get a drink, she quickly dropped the drug in one of the already poured drinks and walked past Emma toward JT and Chris.  
  
END OF FLASHBACK  
  
"It – it's all my fault." Manny whispered to herself.  
  
(A/N: oh, suspense. PLEASE review more and i will update sooner!) 


	9. Fights and the Accident

(A/N: welcome back! I hope my story isn't getting boring b/c i haven't gotten as much reviews as before...oh well don't worry b/c i have updated as of today! On w/ the story!)  
  
Emma's heart was pounding. Her mom was gonna kill her if she ever found out about a gun getting shot off at the party. But the same words were running through Emma's mind – 'What was Sean doing back here?' However, Emma's thoughts were interrupted by Manny bumping into her. Emma turned and saw Manny with her face pretty panicked. She didn't look well. "Manny?"  
  
"E – Emma, you hafta help me now."  
  
"Forget it Manny, I'm just going home." With that, Emma walked past Manny toward the front yard. Manny stood there in the darkness, incredibly confused. She had to find someone to talk to. She needed someone to help her get this confusion out of the way. So Manny ran around the house, coming to the sidewalk on the other side of the street. She saw some people running up the road. Without thinking, Manny caught up to one of them. "Sean!"  
  
Sean turned his head a little as he ran but eventually took his focus off of Manny and kept running. Manny continued to follow him. "Sean, please stop!" But since she was so out of it, she tripped and fell onto the grass. Feeling guilty, Sean ran back to help her up. "What is it, Manny?"  
  
"Wh – where are you going?"  
  
"I'm getting out of here...at least, I need to make sure Jay doesn't find me around here."  
  
"Where did everybody go? Why is the party over?"  
  
Sean said nothing and sighed.  
  
"Sean, tell me, I've had the worst night of my life!" Manny yelled as she coughed.  
  
Sean lowered his voice. "Manny. You do not know 'the worst night of your life' until you've almost been killed."  
  
Manny was speechless. Eventually, she came up with the words she had been wanting to say. "But why – I mean, I thought you left."  
  
"I did and I never came back, the morons found out where I was. I couldn't go home so I stayed in the neighborhood."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I'm an idiot, okay?! I'm a screw-up and I don't need any more crap from you or anyone else. I KNEW I should have never told Emma anything...she's probably the one who let them know where I was."  
  
"Emma?"  
  
With a very angry look on his face, Sean stomped on the ground and stormed away, leaving Manny in the cold, empty night.  
  
While on her way home, Emma saw JT on his skateboard, obviously also on his way home. "JT!" she yelled. JT turned his head and stopped, but didn't say anything. Emma started to run across the street toward him. "JT, will you please –"  
  
JT quickly skated over to her in the middle of the street, stopping Emma in mid-sentance. He picked up his skateboard and said, "What?"  
  
"Look, JT...those drugs were not mine. I swear, I wouldn't ever do something that stupid."  
  
"You were stupid enough to meet an internet stalker, weren't you?"  
  
That made Emma's heart drop. "Please don't bring that up..."  
  
Feeling guilty, JT looked down at the ground. Eventually, he looked back up and said, "Fine. I believe you, okay?"  
  
Emma could tell he was just being sarcastic. "JT, my point is that even if I did have drugs I wouldn't give them to Manny for some kind of sick revenge!"  
  
"Just drop it, Emma, okay?"  
  
"Oh, now you want me to drop it? How humiliating do you think it was to be accused of drug abuse and then left in a corner by one of my last friends?"  
  
"Oh, big deal. I was the one who kept getting dissed by every girl I talked to."  
  
"Yeah, well maybe you see a pattern then." Emma said coldly. Immediately after, however, she regretted ever saying that. JT was obviously hurt. "Fine, Em, I do see a pattern. If girls hate me so much then why don't you stop hanging out with me."  
  
Both of the teens couldn't believe what had just happened. Each one wanted to take back everything they said, but there was no way they really could. They just gave each other blank faces. Finally, Emma shot back, "Yeah...well, I think that's a good idea." With that, she turned and began to walk back to the sidewalk. JT was shocked. This was unbelievable. He was angry, sad, guilty, there wasn't one emotion to describe him at that moment. "Fine!" he yelled after her. "Fine, just...go – go and be a loner!" Emma heard every word, but angrily just kept walking.  
  
Suddenly, a few loud voices were heard. One screamed, "There's something ahead!" The other shot back, "Hon, I know what I'm doing, it's just a reflection or something!" JT was so focused on Emma, that he didn't notice the bright lights shining on him. Once he finally saw them, it was too late – they were headlights from a green van. His eyes widened as he yelled, "STOP!" But a scream from the two passengers was heard at the exact moment. Hearing all of this commotion, Emma turned and quickly fixed her eyes on the scene. All she could see was poor JT, lying in the middle of the road, with the car stopped sideways past him. "JT?!" she yelled. She ran closer. "JT!" Once she was finally in front of the car, she faced the two passengers getting out of it. Emma then faced the ground. "Oh, god, JT."  
  
(A/N: don't hate me, I promise nothing more terrible than this happens in the rest of the fanfic. Please please please w/ a cherry on top review!) 


	10. A Nightmare in Reality

(A/N: hey guys! sorry i took soooo long to update but it's coming toward the end of the year and i'm having final exams and stuff...but now it's the weekend and time to update! so on w/ the story...)  
  
Paige sat on her bed, curled up in a ball. She glanced at her digital clock – it read 4:47 AM. She had been up all night. She had cried, screamed, and felt sicker than ever. Everything just felt out of place for her that night. Paige wiped away another tear as she remembered what had happened earlier.  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
Paige jumped out of the car. Spinner was already out there. He stood there, watching the ground. 'What's wrong with him, now?' she thought. 'I probably just ran over a rock or something.' Paige began to feel dizzy. She could barely see what was in front of her. Before she knew it, a frantic girl ran over and kneeled down to the ground. All Paige could hear was, "Oh, god, JT."  
  
'JT?' Paige thought. "Where's JT?!" she yelled. Spinner gave Paige a sympathetic look. 'Oh no...' It had just hit Paige. 'Please don't tell me I...I....' She looked down at the ground and saw who the girl was leaning beside – JT. All of sudden, Paige gaped at the sight as her eyes teared up. "I – I didn't! I didn't – Spinner!" Before she knew it, Paige had already run over to hug Spinner. She couldn't believe what she had done. How could she have done this to JT? Emma leaped up and grabbed her cell phone out of her jacket and began to dial 911. Paige heard three quick beeps from the phone. By now, she could tell it was Emma standing beside her. "I have a huge emergency!" Emma began into the phone. "My friend was hit by a car, he's unconscious, hurry!" After Emma answered a few more questions, she hung up the phone and held her head in her hands. Spinner walked closer to JT. "Ohh, man, this is bad - should we do anything?!"  
  
"How should I know?!" Emma yelled as she was practically crying. "What's wrong with you guys anyway?! You're driving along the road, he's right there in front of you and – "  
  
"It's not like that! Paige –"But Spinner stopped himself from finishing, once he noticed the ambulances dashing toward them. "Nevermind, here they come." Emma quickly turned and saw the white cars. "Thank god." she muttered as she stopped crying a little.  
  
END OF FLASHBACK  
  
A few hours later, Emma and her mom met JT's parents at the hospital. Emma ran toward them. "Have you heard anything?!" JT's mom sadly shook her head. "Not yet. We've been waiting since 3:30 in the morning." Emma looked down. She couldn't bear to face anyone right now. For some reason, she felt like this was her fault. She just couldn't believe the last conversation she had with JT. She couldn't believe she had broken off their friendship just before it had happened. "Emma." JT's father started. "I just want to thank you so much for being there for JT. I'm so happy you were there to act responsibly and call the hospital. So thank you." Emma wanted to smile, but she just couldn't. Not at a time like this. So she simply just nodded and kept quiet for the rest of the conversation between the three adults.  
  
Around 9:00 AM, Emma was practically falling asleep in the waiting room chairs. Her mom and the Yorke's were in another hallway, waiting for visiting hours to begin. But her attention was caught once Manny entered the room. She slowly walked over to Emma. "Hey."  
  
Emma stood up. "Hey."  
  
Manny seemed a little flustered. She was just so mixed with emotions right now. "Um...I, uh, heard about what happened." Emma didn't really know what to say to that. So she stayed silent. Manny could tell this was an awkward situation, so she broke the ice with something she had been wanting to tell Emma ever since she woke up that morning. "Look, Em, about last night...I was only acting that way because..."  
  
"I know." Emma interrupted. Manny curiously looked her in the eye. "You do?"  
  
"Well, sorry, it was just pretty obvious and all..."  
  
Manny became even more embarrassed. "Yeah."  
  
"But Manny...I wish you would have just...I mean, JT thought they were mine."  
  
"What?"  
  
"He – he saw me when I, uh....I found them at the refreshment table."  
  
"Emma...found what?"  
  
Emma had an obvious look on her face. "You know wh...the drugs."  
  
Manny's eyes widened. "Drugs? You – you FOUND the drugs?"  
  
"Yeah, I found the drugs! Where would you even get –"  
  
"Emma, those weren't mine! They were Sully's!"  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Yes, they were. God, I can't believe you'd think I would do something so stupid!"  
  
"Oh, yeah, then why were you acting so insane last night?!"  
  
"I –"Manny stopped because she knew Emma had caught her. "I was drinking."  
  
Emma wasn't expecting that. "You were?"  
  
Manny sadly nodded. She then rubbed her eyes. "And I feel terrible..."  
  
Emma was completely surprised. But she was also kind of freaked out. Everything was just so...strange. She felt like something was definitely wrong here. Why did it have to be like this? "I need to get out of here." With that, Emma quickly walked out of the waiting room and ran for the elevator outside. Manny quickly followed her like her life was depending on it. She had to know what it was that Emma wasn't telling her. And Emma had to get away. 


	11. Trying to Help

(A/N: another long wait for an update, i'm sorry guys! but i went to the Degrassi VIP thing last weekend so things were pretty crazy for me. anyway, here's my update...)  
  
Emma pushed the elevator button repeatedly. "Come on, come ON!" But before she knew it, Manny was already standing behind her. "What is it, Em?" Emma ignored her and just sighed as she stared at the elevator.  
  
"Just tell me what's going on, I have a right to know."  
  
Emma was disgusted. She faced Manny and said, "YOU have a right to know? Know what? You don't even know what you're talking about!"  
  
"Well, I do know that something is bugging you –"  
  
"Oh, thank you Captain Obvious, let me think about it for a second. Oh yeah! My friend was hit by a car last night immediately after me telling him I wasn't gonna be his friend anymore, I haven't gotten any sleep, you've been drinking, Chris hates me, and –"  
  
"Chris?! So that's what this is about?"  
  
"It's about more than that, I –"  
  
"Look, Em, why won't you just let me help? I talked to Sean last night and –"  
  
"Sean?! You talked...to Sean?" Emma asked surprised as she calmed down.  
  
Manny realized she shouldn't have said that. "Um..." she stammered, "Well, yeah..."  
  
"About what? What did he say?"  
  
"He said – I, I don't know, I was too sick to remember."  
  
Emma heard the elevator make a 'ding' sound. Aggravated, she shook her head at Manny and turned to step into the elevator. Manny couldn't believe this. "Emma?! Where are you going?" But the door had already closed. Angrily, Manny folded her arms and leaned against the wall next to the elevator door. She felt like she was going to cry. But she was interrupted by the elevator 'ding' again. Shocked, she turned and saw Emma holding her finger on the 'door open' button. Manny was speechless. She just stared at Emma standing there alone in the elevator. Afraid to speak, Emma came out of the elevator and approached Manny. "I'm sorry you were sick." she said softly.  
  
Manny didn't know what to say. "What?"  
  
Emma regained the confidence to say it once again. "I said I'm sorry you felt bad. I'm sorry I was so hard on you, it's just..." she began. "It's just, I can't afford to lose you now like I did with JT."  
  
Manny's stomach churned. Those words made her feel really terrible. "He hasn't been lost, yet."  
  
"But...the last words I said to him...I just can't believe it. It's completely stressing me out."  
  
Not knowing what to say, Manny just spoke all she could say. "I'm sorry, Em."  
  
Emma took a deep breath and let it out. "Me too."  
  
With that, the two girls began to walk down the hallway, heading back over to the waiting room.  
  
Meanwhile, Paige was sitting in her room, flipping through a magazine. However, she wasn't even concentrating on the articles. She was just passing the time until Spinner would pick her up so they could go see JT. But Paige couldn't stop having flashbacks from the previous night. She couldn't believe what she had done. As a matter of fact, she refused to believe it. 'Why was I so out of it? I don't remember drinking or anything. That guy came over and offered the beer but...I didn't take it. Did I? No, I went over to get a soda. That's safe. Oh, god, I'll never figure this out. I can't even remember what I did last night other than just talking to Jimmy...and Hazel I think.' At this point, Paige wanted to cry, and she almost did. But she stopped herself for Dylan who had just let himself in. "Thanks for knocking." she said as she wiped her eyes.  
  
"Sorry. I, uh, just was letting you know that I'm heading over to the mall, and, I'll take you to get lunch or something if you want."  
  
"No, thank you."  
  
"Come on, I know my real sister doesn't pass up free trips to shop."  
  
"I'm not going, Dylan. You know I don't want to."  
  
Dylan sighed and sat down on the bed. "I know. Just trying to cheer you up."  
  
"Thanks, it didn't work."  
  
"Okay, Paige, I know you feel bad about what happened, but I'm sure he's going to be okay."  
  
"No, he's not."  
  
"You're just saying that because you're all down on yourself."  
  
"I hit him hard a with a minivan, Dylan! What don't you get?!"  
  
Dylan could tell there was nothing he could really say to make Paige feel better at this point. So he just patted her shoulder a little and said, "I'll let you know when Spinner gets here, alright?" On that note, he left the room, leaving a very sad Paige depressed in her many, many thoughts.  
  
(A/N: hope that wasn't too boring, please review and i'll update sooner!) 


	12. Visiting Begins

Spinner ran into his garage. He was already late to pick up Paige. Just as he was about to jump into the car, his cell phone rang. He reached in his pocket but it wasn't there. He could still hear it ringing though. "Come on!" he said aggravated to himself. Finally, Spinner remembered he had left it on the kitchen counter inside. Quickly, he ran back into the kitchen and picked it up. "What – I mean, hello?"  
  
"Geez, I thought you'd never pick up. Listen, it's Craig –"  
  
"Dude, I'm in a hurry."  
  
"Spin, what happened last night?"  
  
Spinner's face went blank. "Um, lots of things happened."  
  
"Yeah, but when I came home late, Ash came up to me and started freaking out about how I drove Manny to drugs or something."  
  
"What? Manny didn't do drugs. She's probably too busy with –"  
  
"Well, didn't she get in an accident?"  
  
"Um, no."  
  
"She didn't...typical. Ash gets me feeling screwy for nothing."  
  
"Maybe Ashley's just, uh, misunderstood. And there was no accident."  
  
"Well that I know is true. I heard someone got hit by a car."  
  
"I've gotta go. I need to pick up Paige."  
  
"Spin, what aren't you telling me?"  
  
"Nothing! What's with this question thing?!"  
  
"I'm just trying to find out what's going on –"  
  
"Well, nothing's going on."  
  
"Why aren't you telling me?!"  
  
Spinner did not want to tell Craig it was practically his fault. At least, that's how Spinner felt. He never should have let Paige drive in that condition. "I've got to go." Spinner said quickly. With that, he hung up and ran back to the car, this time, taking his cell phone with him.  
  
Meanwhile, it was finally time for visiting hours. Emma and Manny got ready to make their way into JT's room. The nurse handed them a card with JT's room number on it and left. Emma sighed. "Here we go." Slowly, she began to walk down the hall, followed by Manny. She glanced down at the card and saw #235. Finally, they saw that very number in front of them. Manny turned the doorknob and walked inside. Once they were both inside, they quietly walked over to the bed. Manny covered her mouth. Right there in front of them, JT lied there, with many scars and bruises. Emma turned to Manny and could tell she was about to cry. But she wasn't quite sure why Manny was so much more broken up than she was.  
  
"Manny, it's gonna be okay."  
  
"You don't understand, Em."  
  
Emma looked back at JT. She really badly wanted to wake him up and tell him she was incredibly sorry, but she couldn't. She just hoped he would awaken on his own any minute now. Manny's eyes teared up. "It's all my fault, though."  
  
"What? Don't be crazy, Manny, it's not your –"  
  
"Yes, it is!" she whispered firmly. "I'm the one."  
  
"The one who what? What are you talking about?"  
  
Suddenly, JT moved a little, but he didn't open his eyes. Manny continued. "Look at him! It's all because of me!"  
  
"If anything, it's me, I'm the one he was fighting with, remember?"  
  
"Yeah, but I –"  
  
"You what?!"  
  
"I screwed up Paige!"  
  
(A/N: hmmm, yeah that's an odd place to leave off, but don't we wanna see what Emma has to say? Please review some more guys, and i'll update!) 


	13. Emma vs Manny

Manny suspected that she would have shut Emma up by saying that. But instead, the complete opposite happened.  
  
"What the hell does that mean?" Emma yelled.  
  
"God, quiet! You'll freak out JT!"  
  
"Oh, good, then you can tell him how you caused his near death experience."  
  
"Em, you don't even know what I –"  
  
"You screwed up Paige, I don't even know what that means."  
  
"Well, if you'd let me tell you...!"  
  
Finally, Emma closed her mouth and listened. Manny sighed and began. "I sort of...um, okay. You know those drugs I told you about?"  
  
Emma became suspicious. "Yeah..."  
  
"Um, well, after Sully gave them to me, I kind of accidentally dropped one into a drink and Paige must have –"  
  
"I thought you said you never touched them." Emma gloated coldy.  
  
"I – I didn't, I just was looking."  
  
"But alcohol abuse seemed more fun, huh?"  
  
Manny became really aggravated. "Emma! Would you stop picking on me for every little thing?!"  
  
Emma stopped. "Wait a minute...was this when you abandoned me and the guys in the beginning?"  
  
Manny was confused. "What?"  
  
"The party, at the beginning of the party – when you, JT, Chris, and I were talking."  
  
"Um, I guess...why does it matter?" she asked, suspecting Emma was on to something that would get Manny into more trouble.  
  
Emma's expression showed the Manny's thoughts were right. "You – you left to get a drink and then you put the drug in one of the sodas!"  
  
Manny didn't say anything. She couldn't tell where this was going.  
  
Emma continued. "I was walking over there, immediately after, that's why you left so quickly!"  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Oh my god, you probably wanted me to get the drugs, didn't you?!"  
  
"Emma!"  
  
"Don't 'Emma' me! Just...get out of my life, Manny!" Emma yelled firmly as she began to walk out of the room. Manny ran after her. "Ohhhh, no, you're not getting out of here like that!"  
  
"Oh, yes I am."  
  
Manny slammed the door and stood in front of it. "No, you're not."  
  
Emma folded her arms as her eyes began to water.  
  
"Oh, now you're gonna cry." Manny remarked sarcastically.  
  
"Shut up, Manny." Emma said with a weak voice.  
  
Somehow, this made Manny feel guilty. She could tell Emma was really hurt. But this didn't excuse the fact that she had completely accused Manny of every possible, terrible thing.  
  
"Why do you hate me so much this year?" Emma said sadly. "Why – why do you wanna drug me and hurt me and leave me as some loser?"  
  
"Em...I..." Manny trailed off.  
  
Both girls became silent. But they were suddenly interrupted by a cough.  
  
"Hey...Manny." the voice said. The girls turned and saw that face they had known for quite a long time. That pair of eyes focused on Emma, although they said hello to Manny.  
  
(A/N: well it's probably obvious who the person is, but feel free to guess or try to give it away, hehe. More reviews and i'll update!) 


	14. Something for Manny to Settle

Manny wanted to see JT, she really did. But after everything Emma had just said to her, all she wanted to do was leave. She had a lot to think about. "I'm sorry, JT." she muttered as she pushed passed Emma to get out of the room. With anger in her eyes, Emma watched Manny lightly slam the door behind her.  
  
"Emma?"  
  
Emma turned her head to JT. He continued. "What's this all about?"  
  
Emma approached JT's hospital bed closer. "Don't worry about it. Look, there's something I really, need, to tell you."  
  
JT waited as Emma paused. "I'm sorry." she said. "I am truly, really, incredibly, sorry. I shouldn't have gotten mad at you and I know it was my fault it all happened –"  
  
"Wait, what? Em, it wasn't your fault."  
  
"Yes, it was!" Emma claimed as she sat down. "It was all because of me that you were left standing there in the middle of a road!"  
  
"It could have happened anyway."  
  
"No, you were just going home and I screwed everything up."  
  
"Just tell me one thing, Emma." JT hesitated. "Who...who hit me?"  
  
Emma froze. Of course she knew, but how could she tell him who it really was? 'Oh yeah, the love of your love accidentally ran over you. She looked high on something too.' Emma thought sarcastically. 'Yeah right.'  
  
"I don't know." she finally said.  
  
JT didn't want to fight Emma, so he just stayed quiet. He felt weak enough already.  
  
Outside, in the hospital's parking lot, Manny ran away from her problems. She held the back of her neck as she tried hard not to cry. 'Why does everyone have to be against me? I didn't do anything wrong last night, I just wanted to have a good time. And all I get is Emma picking on me and now I can't even see JT. Ohhhh, god, this sucks. I should just – '  
  
But Manny's thoughts were interrupted. Across the street, she saw a familiar looking car pull into the hospital area. She watched them carefully, as she finally saw the two people get out of it. 'Oh god, it's Paige and Spinner. I've gotta leave. They probably know how drunk I was last night!'  
  
Cautiously, Manny ran around the corner and tried to make it to the bus stop, but out of bad luck, her cell phone loudly rang, causing Paige and Spinner to turn toward her. Manny glanced at them, not knowing what to say. But before she could give them a chance to do anything, she pulled her phone out and answered it. "Hello?"  
  
Spinner motioned for Paige to follow him into the building, but she refused. She just stared at Manny and listened.  
  
"I'm leaving now, okay? Yeah, I'll see you soon." It was Manny's mother, just checking on her. As Manny hung up the phone and put it back in her coat pocket, she looked up at Paige. Sure enough, Paige came over and plainly said "So, were you here to visit him?"  
  
"Um...who?" Manny asked innocently.  
  
"Don't play dumb, you know who I'm talking about."  
  
Manny realized something. When Paige wanted to, she could really outsmart you. "I – I'm leaving now. I didn't get to."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"E – someone else is already in there."  
  
"Well, who is it?"  
  
Manny stayed silent.  
  
Paige sighed, very ticked off. She walked over to Spinner and said "Great, I'm responsible and I can't even see him." The two began to make their way into the building.  
  
But suddenly, Manny was overcome with guilt. She knew she was the one responsible for Paige getting sick from those drugs. She had to say something. "Paige, wait!"  
  
Paige turned and faced Manny, with Spinner behind her. The couple looked at Manny, waiting for what she was about to say. But frankly, even Manny wasn't sure how to say it. She stood there blankly.  
  
"I..."  
  
(A/N: cliffhanger! As the author, i love them, but as the reader, i know you hate them, sorry! But PLEASE review some more guys and i will update soon!) 


	15. The Confession and the Call

"I...okay." Manny began. "I can't believe I'm going to say this, but, Paige..." Manny paused. "You didn't hit JT last night."  
  
Paige looked annoyed. "What are you talking about, of COURSE I did."  
  
"But, it – it wasn't your fault."  
  
This interested Paige as she began to pay closer attention. Manny slowly continued. "Well, um..."  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
"You want a party favor?" Sully said as he pulled something out of his jacket. It was a small bag. It had drugs in it. Manny couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Sully, what is wrong with you?" "Geez, chill. This is a decent party." Sully threw the drugs on the table and walked back over to his friends. Manny stared at the bag. Eventually, she slyly took one of the pills out and began to turn and walk back over to the group. But when she saw Emma coming this way, obviously to get a drink, she quickly dropped the drug in one of the already poured drinks and walked past Emma toward JT and Chris.  
  
NEXT FLASHBACK  
  
Without thinking, Manny ran outside and bumped into Paige and Spinner. "Ow!" Paige yelled. "I've already got a terrible headache, make it worse, why don't you?!" Manny felt completely out of it. "I – I'm – I'm sorry, Paige. I –" "We – are leaving, Spinner. Now!" Paige began to walk toward the car she was driving but tripped over her own feet on the way. Spinner ran over. "Paige, are you okay?" "Just fine." she managed to say under her breath as she got up. "Um, hey why don't I drive?" "No. I think I can drive." "Paige, I don't think you can –" "Spinner! I'm driving! Now come on."  
  
As the two began to walk toward the car, Manny watched. As bad as she was feeling, she could tell Paige was worse. And just then, it hit her.  
  
"It – it's all my fault." Manny whispered to herself.  
  
END OF FLASHBACKS  
  
"...and so, I think you got that drink." Manny finished.  
  
Paige couldn't believe her ears. Was she serious? Was Manny actually responsible for this whole drug ordeal? Well, technically it was Sully. But that didn't excuse Manny from dropping them into a free drink! "So – so you were the one that made me feel terribly sick?!" Paige yelled angrily. "You were the one responsible for my close come to death a – and not being able to sleep all last night?!" Manny couldn't even bear to face Paige. But she still listened. "And you were the one...that put JT in this hospital." Paige said as she quieted down. Manny could only stare down at her hands, not knowing what to say. Finally, she looked up at Paige like she was about to say something, but she was interrupted. Not by words, but by the expression on Paige's face. It showed that she wanted nothing to do with Manny for the rest of her life. With that, she turned and quickly walked back over to the car. Spinner followed.  
  
"Paige! What are you doing?"  
  
But Paige didn't respond. She just climbed in the car and looked like she was ready for a quick getaway, but just leaned her head against the steering wheel and began to cry softly.  
  
Manny watched Spinner open the passenger door and get inside to talk to Paige. It broke her heart to see this. She didn't want to see this. She wanted to see anything but this. 'I never should have told her.'  
  
Back in the hospital, Emma left JT's room, once the nurse had told her visiting hours were over. She calmly walked out of the waiting room, and toward the elevator. Somehow, she felt better than she had felt before. Apparently, all she really needed was time to talk to JT. She hoped he had gotten the message that she really was sorry. But now, something else began to bother Emma. She began to think about it as she stepped into the elevator. 'It couldn't be Manny, could it? I'm so angry with her, why would I feel bad about what happened? God, where is she anyway? Oh, great, now I'm wondering what happened to her.' As she had finally reached the first floor, she left the elevator and began to walk out the front entrance. She waited in the parking lot for her mother to pick her up. But in the distance she saw a very strange sight. On one end of the parking lot, two familiar teenagers were sitting in a car. They seemed really freaked out. But the stranger part was Manny – sitting all alone on the opposite end, watching them.  
  
'Oh, come on.' Emma thought. But her thoughts were interrupted right when her cell phone rang. "What the...who is calling now?" Emma said to herself as she answered the phone. "Hello?"  
  
"Em, no questions, okay? But I just need your help – right, now." A voice on the other line said. Emma couldn't believe this person was calling her. And what was this help? And right now? 'Oh, god, not now.'  
  
(A/N: sorry, another cliffhanger! Can you guess who the person is? Hehe okay well review and i'll update) 


	16. JT Finds Out

(A/N: time for an update, and yup you guys all guessed right. The caller is...)  
  
"Sean, where are you?" Emma called into the phone. The signal was getting low.  
  
"I – I don't know, I was running and now I'm in this alley."  
  
'Running?' Emma thought. "Is Jay on your back again?!"  
  
"Look, I don't have any time, they'll find me any minute now. I know you're at the hospital, right?"  
  
"How did you –"  
  
"Because I'm right behind it. Can you just tell me where the nearest bus stop or subway is?"  
  
"Uh, I think the bus stop is here in front of the hospital. But I'm getting picked up."  
  
"That doesn't matter. Um, thanks Emma." Quickly, Sean hung up without giving Emma a chance to say anything else. She didn't know why, but she was worried about him. This was so weird. A few weeks ago, she wouldn't have given a care in the world if Sean was shot. Plus, why was he calling her? And since when did he have a cell phone? There couldn't have been a pay phone in that alley, could there? Way too many questions were running through Emma's mind, she had to find out what was happening.  
  
Across the parking lot, Manny saw Emma dash around the corner of the hospital and out behind it. 'What is she thinking?' she thought. But soon after, Manny noticed Spinner getting out of the car. He was already on his way into the hospital building. For some reason, Paige stayed in the car. She looked humiliated, although Manny was not sure why. She wanted so badly to talk to her, but she knew she wouldn't listen.  
  
After a few minutes, Spinner reached JT's floor. He walked into the waiting room and began heading over to JT's area, but a nurse stopped him. "I'm sorry, young man, visiting hours are over."  
  
"But I just –"  
  
"I'm sorry, you'll just have to come back later."  
  
"Look, my girlfriend – um, I am the reason the guy in that room over there is here, so can I go?"  
  
"You'll be able to see him this evening at –"  
  
Spinner became impatient. "But Miss, I –"  
  
"Sir!" she said firmly. "Please sit and wait, or leave."  
  
Spinner glared at the woman as she went back behind the front desk. After thinking about it, he quickly made his way through the hallway when the nurses weren't looking. However, he loudly opened JT's door, which the nurses overheard. "Hey!" one shouted.  
  
Spinner quickly shut the door behind him. He could still hear the nurses trying to find him outside, so he stood in front of the door, holding it closed. "JT, are you awake?!"  
  
"Spinner? Oh my God..."  
  
"Hey, man, how are you doing?"  
  
"Okay, I guess. Where's Paige? And...wait –"  
  
"That's why I'm here. I –"  
  
"Hold on, if the nurses catch you, I won't be talking to you until I get out of here."  
  
"That's a risk I'm willing to take, alright?"  
  
JT sighed as he watched Spinner pull a chair in front of the door to keep it shut. "Okay, so tell me – how long do you think you'll be here?"  
  
"Well, they think it's just a broken bone and some bruises so...I might be back for the last few days of school, I dunno."  
  
"Oh. Um, have you talked to Manny or anyone?"  
  
JT paused. But then he spoke up again. "Sort of."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Um, I'm not sure, I just kind of woke up to her and Emma fighting in here but when I said something, they like, I don't know, they acted really nervous. But Manny left right then so, no, I didn't actually get to talk to her."  
  
"Oh, but you talked to Emma?"  
  
"Hm, yeah."  
  
Spinner became silent. But JT broke the quiet atmosphere once again. "Spinner, is Paige around?"  
  
"Uh...yeah, she's...in the parking lot."  
  
"Oh, because I kind of wanted to ask her something. But I'll just ask you if that's alright."  
  
Spinner walked closer to JT's bed. Partly confused, he managed to say, "Okay."  
  
"Alright." JT muttered. "Do you – or does ANYONE – know, who hit me?"  
  
Spinner froze. "You don't know who hit you?"  
  
"No, if I did, I wouldn't be asking everyone."  
  
"Wh – who else did you ask?!"  
  
"Only Emma, remember? She's the only one I've seen."  
  
Spinner became really nervous. He remembered Emma being the only one to see the crash that night. "She – she didn't tell you, right?"  
  
JT became curious as to why Spinner was acting like this. "What's your angle?"  
  
"No angle, I – I'm just..."  
  
"I knew it. Emma knows, doesn't she?"  
  
Spinner said nothing.  
  
JT continued. "And you know too. Spinner, PLEASE, why doesn't anyone want me to know?"  
  
"Because..."  
  
"Because why?"  
  
"Because it was Paige, okay?!" Spinner yelled angrily.  
  
(A/N: dun, dun, dun...man, I'm really killing you guys w/ cliffys lately, aren't I? Sorry, but thank you to my awesome reviewers anyway!! Keep reviewing and i will update!) 


	17. The Secret

(A/N: sorry i killed you w/ cliffhangers...but now i'm updating! Thanks, your reviews are so cool!)  
  
JT didn't know what to say. All he could do was stare into space, blankly. He wanted to open his mouth and say something, but what could he say? 'How could Paige do this?' he thought. 'She's a good driver, how could this happen? I can't believe she wasn't even the first one in here.' But before JT could even work up the courage to say something, a nurse barged in and found Spinner. "You, young man, are leaving now." Spinner didn't want to fight her, so he just muttered an apology as he left the room, followed by her.  
  
Meanwhile, outside, Emma ran as quickly as she could to find Sean. 'Where is the nearest alley?' she thought. She couldn't even find any street signs. Finally, she spotted two buildings next to each other, but they were even farther behind the hospital. As she ran toward them, all she could think about was how her mom was going to freak out after finding out that Emma was not there waiting. But Emma couldn't let that worry her right now. All that mattered, was finding out what was going on.  
  
Before she knew it, Emma was facing a long alley. Surprisingly, Sean was nowhere in sight. But she hesitantly made her way down the long path. It was dark in this alley, even though it was late afternoon. Plus, it was dead silent. After the long walk through, Emma angrily found herself back at the hospital. Except this time, she was at the side of it. 'Ugh, I must have gone in a circle or something.' she thought, frustrated.  
  
But the silence stopped. All of a sudden, loud sirens were heard throughout the area. Emma saw police cars in the distance, driving into the hospital parking lot. 'Oh, god, what happened now?' Emma thought, worried. Something told her this had to do with Sean.  
  
Just as some of the cops jumped out of their cars, Spinner came out of the building and came behind Emma. "What's going on?" he asked confused.  
  
"I have no idea." Emma muttered, pretty scared.  
  
A policeman began to speak. This caught Manny's attention as well, who looked like a wreck at the moment. She was still waiting for the bus to come, but she seemed even more worried while listening to the cop.  
  
"Okay, everyone freeze and just put your hands up." He began. Spinner backed up toward the wall with his hands in the air, while Emma did the same. Manny just froze, but also slowly carried her arms up. The policeman turned to Paige sitting in the car, watching intensely, not knowing what to do. "Ma'am, please get out of the vehicle." Doing as she was ordered, Paige got out of the car and put her hands up like the rest of the gang.  
  
A few other policemen ran over the main one, telling him something that seemed very interesting. He nodded and pointed back around the hospital. This intrigued Emma, since that was the same place she was just at. The main cop took out his walkie-talkie and said, "We may have found the perpetrators – Hallow Street, near the two business buildings. Four kids, ages eleven through eight-teen, are at the main premise. We're about to confront them of the seen gun."  
  
Emma did not like the sound of this. Gun? But how could it be true? She was just at that exact same place, what was going on?  
  
The officer spoke loudly so all four of the teens could hear him. "Who, here, reported a seen gun in this area?"  
  
The parking lot was dead silent. 'This area?' Emma thought. 'They couldn't have come through here while I was over there...could they?'  
  
The cop spoke again. "I repeat, whoever reported this is under order by the law to –"  
  
"I did." Manny spoke up.  
  
(A/N: my, my, this is insane. I really didn't mean for this cliffhanger, but anyway, what does Manny know? Did Sean lie to Emma? And what will happen with JT and Paige? Review lots.) 


	18. A Second Fight

(A/N: i'm updating earlier b/c i know the last chapter was short and had a huge cliffhanger. Plus, all of your reviews were so nice! Thanks a million, okey-dokey, let's go on w/ the story...)  
  
Emma was in complete shock. 'Manny? Manny reported a gun? Wait, what gun? I don't even know what this is about!' To get her questions answered, Emma carefully listened to Manny and the policeman.  
  
"You reported a gun in this area?" the cop asked her.  
  
"Y – yes." Manny tripped over her own words.  
  
The policeman pulled out a small notebook and pen. He began to scribble down some things as he interrogated Manny. "And who had this weapon?"  
  
"Um..." Manny started. But for some reason, she did not continue. She just stood there like a little stick figure. Emma looked at her from afar, trying to get her to say something. Finally, Manny spoke up again. "It was...a guy. About my age, I guess."  
  
"Can you describe him?"  
  
"Uh, yeah."  
  
The cop waited for Manny to give a description, but she said nothing. Eventually, he motioned for her to go on. "Would you?"  
  
"He, uh, he's tall...sort of. But not that tall. And he, uh..." Manny trailed off because she didn't want to say the next part in front of Emma over there. But she continued anyway, since she was right in front of a police officer after all. "He had a bandanna on his head." She sighed after saying those words. Manny didn't even have to look, she knew Emma was freaking out inside right at this very moment. Because there was only one person they all knew who fit that description – Sean.  
  
Emma couldn't help herself. She immediately ran up to the two. "Wait! I know who she's talking about! He didn't have a gun, other guys were trying to, um, get him." Emma realized that what she had just done looked incredibly stupid on her part. The policeman just stared at her. "Well, this young lady says she saw him with a gun. If you have any other actual evidence, I'd like to hear it." Emma just froze. She didn't have any evidence. But hold on, why was she even trying to protect Sean? A few months ago, she was happy about getting him a two month Saturday detention. Now, he could get a long time in jail. Or juvenile hall. Manny gave Emma a questioning look, but Emma just turned back up to the policeman and said. "I don't have any evidence."  
  
"Well, then, I'm afraid I can't take your case." He turned his attention back to Manny. "Now, what is your full name, Miss?"  
  
After a pause, Manny replied. "Manuella Santos."  
  
"Okay, I may have to get in touch with you about this, so if you could just fill out these forms..."  
  
Emma didn't stay there any longer. She didn't want to get involved any more. 'I can't believe this. Sean had a gun the whole time. Did he lie to me again? He could have just made up that story at the party...he's probably just trying to get them. It's probably the total opposite. I mean...wait a minute!' Emma had just thought of the perfect piece of evidence. She caught the police officer just as he was heading to his car. "Sir! Um, Sir?!" she called after him. He turned around impatiently and said to Emma, "Yes?"  
  
"I just thought of the evidence I have!" Emma began.  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
Emma slowly peeked around the corner of the kitchen and saw two figures talking.  
  
"Come on man, don't be a coward."  
  
"I'm not..."  
  
"You've gotta understand – he deserves this."  
  
"So? Isn't there any other stupid way to get back at him?"  
  
"Of course there is, but think about it! He takes one step into this party and BANG! He gets it."  
  
"Whatever, man."  
  
Emma's mouth hung open in shock. She knew who these people were, and she knew who they were talking about – Sean.  
  
END OF FLASHBACK  
  
"...they were talking about him, I know it. Because later I talked to the him myself and he said they were after him."  
  
Manny rolled her eyes. Here Emma was, protecting Sean, once again. "He could have had that gun for self-defense." Manny called out suddenly.  
  
The cop wrote a few more things down and then said. "I need to get back to the station. The case will be closed soon. Thank you, girls." With that, he got into his car and drove away, leaving Emma and Manny both completely shocked at one another.  
  
"What were you thinking, Emma?!" Manny shouted.  
  
"I'm just telling the truth, unlike you!"  
  
"Unlike me? I SAW him, with a gun, he ran right by here! Oh, and you can stop playing hero now, why are you so excited about saving Sean?"  
  
"Because!" Emma stopped. She really didn't know why. She had already asked herself that very question.  
  
Manny continued. "Yeah, well, this is probably some other screwed up plan of your's. Why didn't you mention his name if you wanna help out so much?"  
  
"Why didn't you?!" Emma retorted. "You're the wonderful one who reported the gun!"  
  
"I didn't wanna get him in trouble!"  
  
"Yeah, well, neither do I." After a pause, something just hit Emma. "Wait a minute...if Sean ran right by here, then how come Paige and Spinner over there didn't see him?"  
  
"Spinner was still in the building, remember? He came out right after you came back from your little mission behind the hospital! And Paige was sitting in the car, CRYING, yeah, crying, because of me! Yeah, me, the one who caused JT's injury. I'M the reason why JT is in the hospital! Okay, are you all happy now? Is that why you're attacking me, just so I'll admit that?!" Manny didn't seem to care that Paige and Spinner could hear her clearly from the other side of the parking lot.  
  
"This has nothing to do with JT!"  
  
"Oh, get over yourself. EVERYTHING has to do with JT, now. Paige hates me because of JT, you hate me because of JT –"  
  
"Hold on, why do I hate you because of JT?!"  
  
"Don't you remember anything? You are, way too caught up in this little teeny tiny section of this horrible weekend, aren't you? In the hospital room, about an hour ago, you got furious with me just because I was honest about what I did with the drugs!"  
  
"Manny, like you said, I totally forgot about it, that's why I'm NOT mad at you for it! I'm mad because –"  
  
"You know, I don't even want to hear why you're mad anymore." Manny said as she calmed down. "I don't want to hear about your problems, I don't want to hear about why everything's my fault. I just...want to be left alone." Just at that moment, a bus pulled up at the corner. Coldly, Manny turned and headed toward the bus. Emma intensely watched her walk onto it, and eventually saw it leave.  
  
(A/N: ack, my hands hurt. I hope you liked that chap, and i didn't give you such a bad cliffhanger, did i? Well i hope not...please keep reviewing!) 


	19. Hard Rides Home

(A/N: sorry for the long wait! I was having a little writer's block but...i think i'm okay now. Well anyway on w/ the story!)  
  
After a few minutes of difficult waiting, Spike drove up to the curb and let Emma climb into the car. "So, how's JT doing?" she asked.  
  
"Fine." Emma mumbled.  
  
"Do they know when he'll be out?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Okay...just wondering." Spike replied as she backed off. She could see that Emma clearly didn't want to talk right now. This caused the long drive home to be very quiet and painful.  
  
When they pulled into the driveway, Emma promptly got out of the car and let herself inside. She immediately walked down to her room where she could just sit and think. She had to gather her thoughts. She really didn't feel well after all of this.  
  
Meanwhile, as Paige and Spinner left the hospital, things weren't going that well either.  
  
"I can't believe she'd do something so terrible." Paige complained, referring to Manny.  
  
"Well...she didn't know it was your drink, Honeybee."  
  
"Yeah, well how come she did it anyway? What kind of idiot throws drugs in random drinks at a party?!"  
  
"I don't know...just stop worrying about it. It's over."  
  
"It's not that easy, Manny used to be so...I don't know. She was just so sweet, and now she's like some monster someone created. She won't even talk to the people she used to talk to anymore."  
  
Spinner paused and then said, "She won't even talk to JT."  
  
Paige sharply turned her head to him, but still remembered to concentrate on the road. "What?"  
  
Spinner said nothing. He immediately regretted saying that last sentence.  
  
Paige continued. "What about JT?" She thought a minute, and then continued to speak again. "You talked to JT, didn't you?"  
  
"Paige, I..."  
  
"You told me you were just going in there for a drink!"  
  
"Look, what's so wrong about that? I just wanted to see how he's doing."  
  
"Yeah, since when do you care about his well-being?"  
  
"Well, doesn't he have a right to know why he's in that hospital room?!" Spinner said angrily. But once again, he regretted saying that. He slightly cupped his hand over his forehead, sadly.  
  
Paige angrily pulled the car over and said. "You lied to me, saw JT, and told him that I crashed a car into him?!"  
  
"No, it's not like that."  
  
"Then what's it like, huh?"  
  
Spinner honestly didn't know how to answer that. After all, he still felt guilty for spilling the secret. But JT had to find out sometime.  
  
"Your house is just up the block, can you walk?"  
  
Spinner didn't know how to take this. He couldn't believe that he was being punished for this. But Paige felt differently. As she watched Spinner eventually get out of the car and walk into the neighborhood, she was completely depressed and mad. It was very complicated. But she felt terrible knowing that JT had already found out about what she did. And that certainly did not help her mood at all.  
  
(A/N: sorry for the short chapter, and i'm also sorry if it was bad because i'm kind of in a rush. But review some more and i'll update!) 


	20. In Need of Help

(A/N: hey guys, i'm so sorry i took so long to update. i've just been having some serious writer's block. But hopefully i'm back now...okay, well on w/ the story!)  
  
Finally, Monday morning had arrived. It was time for everyone to get back to school after a pretty tough weekend. Thankfully, it was the last week of school, and the kids hoped this would send most of their problems away. But they were dead wrong. Being at school made everything seem much worse. It made each of them feel like their time was running out to fix the problems. Because time was running out. If friendships couldn't be mended by the end of the week, then things would stay the same for the rest of the summer, and there would be no chance to fix anything until the new year started.  
  
Emma came into school with a very plain look on her face. She felt like every bad thing that happened at that party was on her shoulders. As she passed Paige, she immediately thought of JT, and everything she had said to him. When she passed Manny, she remembered what Sean did. Or at least, what she heard he did. But Emma didn't know what to think of the 'Sean situation' anymore. Everything she had thought was wrong. She didn't know what to believe.  
  
After Paige passed Emma, she also remembered the night she hit JT. All of the painful memories came back. What made her feel even worse was that not only had she lost JT, she lost Spinner too. And every loss seemed to be her fault. She wished that she had never gone to that party. Then none of this would have happened.  
  
Manny passed by Emma and wanted so bad to say something to her. But she couldn't. There was no way she could. Not after what she said to her. But she absolutely NEEDED to talk to someone. She didn't care who. 'It might as well be the next person I see.' Just then, Manny bumped into Paige because she was looking down while walking. 'Oh, great.'  
  
Paige just gave her a bad look and moved right along past her. But Manny wasn't going to let her get away. "Wait! Paige!" she called as she ran after her.  
  
Paige didn't respond. She just kept walking. Manny knew she was being humiliated, she knew people were staring at her. After all, she was practically chasing Paige. "Please!" she whispered loudly and sharply. Finally, Paige sighed and turned to face her. But she said nothing.  
  
Manny began. "Okay. I know...you hate me. But you don't understand. It's not my fault."  
  
"Oh really? Then who put that disgusting drug in my drink, huh?"  
  
Manny became silent. Paige continued. "You know what I was just thinking? I was thinking – hey, if I had never gone to that party, none of this would have happened. If I didn't go to that party, I wouldn't have had that drink. Then I wouldn't have hit JT. And I wouldn't have lost my boyfriend. But after running into you just now, I've realized. It's YOUR fault. Because YOU put that drug in MY drink."  
  
Manny was speechless. Paige expected her to come up with some explanation proving her innocence, but Manny proved her wrong.  
  
Manny opened her mouth, trying to begin her sentence, and finally, it popped out. "You're...you're right."  
  
Paige froze in awe. "What?"  
  
"You're right." Manny said more confidently. "Every single bad thing that happened at that party...was my fault."  
  
Paige didn't know what to say. She honestly did agree, but even Paige couldn't bring herself to say something that evil. It took some serious courage for Manny to admit she was wrong. Paige looked behind Manny, however, and saw Emma trying to say something to Chris. But he shook his head and walked away, leaving Emma leaning against her locker depressed. "Not everything." Paige finally replied as she eyed Emma. Manny turned and watched her. She had completely forgotten about the Sean/Emma/Chris confrontation, plus Jay and his gang being involved.  
  
Manny didn't know what to do. She turned back to look to Paige for advice, but she was already walking away. With a sigh, Manny turned back to look at Emma, and realized she had to make a decision. Should she really try to be there for Emma? It was now or never.  
  
(A/N: is that a bad cliff-hanger? I'm sorry if it is! Hehe, well, anyway, some of you have been asking how much longer this story is gonna be. Well, i'm actually not really sure. I mean, i just kinda keep writing until i decide to end it. but you can give me your opinions on whether or not you want a lot more chapters, a few more, or if you think the story should end soon. Please review, i hoped you liked the chapter!) 


	21. Emma's Flashback

(A/N: thanks for your awesome, sweet reviews. And now for an update...)  
  
Emma let out a huge sigh. When she walked into school this morning, she was feeling completely tortured by everything that happened the previous weekend, but somehow, she totally forgot that she had lost Chris. 'This is terrible. I can't believe it, now I really don't have anyone. Manny's gone, Sean's gone, Chris is gone, JT is gone – I don't know if I can take much more of this.' Just then, Emma quickly ran through her mind what had just happened with Chris.  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
"Chris!" Emma called as she walked quickly toward him. He took his headphones off, hung them around his neck and began to listen.  
  
"Hey...um, can I talk to you?" Emma asked.  
  
"About?"  
  
"About...the party." Emma said with an obvious look on her face.  
  
"Em, I'm not really sure what happened –"  
  
"Exactly, so can I just explain?"  
  
Chris paused. "Yeah. What were you doing up there with Sean anyway?"  
  
"That's what I need to tell you – look, I'm serious. Jay and his gang were out to get him. I know because the police got involved and everything."  
  
"When did you see the police?"  
  
"S – Saturday, the day after the party. 'Cause, um, Manny saw him with a gun."  
  
Emma could tell that Chris wasn't convinced. But she continued anyway. "Listen, Chris, I know this sounds bad but I was at the hospital to visit JT when Sean called – um, called Manny. And she said he was being chased by Jay and those guys."  
  
"Since when are you talking to Manny? Do you think I'm stupid or something, Emma?"  
  
"No! Chris, I'm telling the truth, they were gonna hurt him –"  
  
"And yet Manny saw him with a gun." Chris retorted.  
  
Emma backed off as she realized this story she was telling was complicated enough without her adding these little twists.  
  
"Emma," Chris continued. "All I know is that you still have a thing for him. It doesn't matter what happened anymore. You've just been dragging me along on your little revenge plots. It's like I'm your side boyfriend."  
  
"Chris, you know that's not true!"  
  
Chris plainly shook his head as he turned and walked away, leaving Emma by herself.  
  
END OF FLASHBACK  
  
'Oh, god, I can't believe I said all that.' Emma thought as she turned and opened her locker. As she put some books away, she could sense someone walking over, but her open locker door blocked the view. Suddenly, an upside came to Emma's mind. She brightened up thinking that it could be Chris, or even JT, back and out of the hospital. Getting ready to smile, Emma closed her locker door, only to find none other than Manny, standing in front of her.  
  
(A/N: that was a super short chapter, i know. Please don't hate me, i'll update soon. Please review!) 


	22. Manny Explains

(A/N: a quick update, since the last chapter was so short! i try to make this one longer.)  
  
'Oh, god, this is just what I need right now.' Emma thought as she saw Manny get ready to say something.  
  
"Emma." she began.  
  
Turning back to her locker, Emma plainly replied. "What?"  
  
"Okay, um, I – I'm really, really sorry about what happened on Saturday. I'm sorry I was so stupid, and I'm sorry I was such a jerk at the party."  
  
"Manny, what are you really apologizing for?"  
  
Manny paused. "What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean, why are you so sorry?" Emma closed her locker as Manny said nothing. "I don't even know what you did anymore."  
  
"I – uh, wait, what? Emma, you're totally not being fair."  
  
"I'm not being fair?" Emma said, shocked.  
  
"Yeah, what's your problem? I'm apologizing because you practically freaked out on me for any move I made this weekend."  
  
"That's not true."  
  
"Yes, it is, whether you like it or not! First, I'm sorry – I got drunk at the party, okay? I admit it. I'm sorry I put a drug in Paige's stupid drink, I admit it!" Manny knew she was getting loud, but she really didn't care what other people thought right now. "And I know I saw Sean with a gun. That's not my fault! Don't blame everything on me just because you hate him, and stop dissing Chris for the same reason!"  
  
"Oh, what do you know about Chris?" Emma asked sarcastically.  
  
"I know that he likes you, and you're practically driving him away!"  
  
"I don't get it, just because I don't want Sean to die, I'm driving him away?!"  
  
"There you go, talking about Sean again –"  
  
"Okay, what is it that you want from me, Manny? What is it that the entire WORLD wants from me? Just like you, I saw something that I didn't want to see – I saw Jay talking about getting Sean. What was I supposed to do, just let him get killed?"  
  
"No, but –"  
  
"But what?"  
  
"But you don't know the whole story! You never let me finish explaining at the hospital the other day!"  
  
"Explaining what?!"  
  
"Explaining about what Sean was doing with that gun!"  
  
Emma stopped. Even though she was in the middle of practically her millionth fight with Manny, this intrigued her. "Well then tell me."  
  
Manny thought about how to say this. "Okay..."  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
Manny watched Emma run around the corner. 'What is she thinking?' she thought. With a sigh, Manny also noticed Spinner walking into the hospital building. However, Paige stayed in the car, helpless as can be. 'I can't believe this. Everyone in this parking lot is practically plotting my death. Ugh, why won't the bus just get here already?'  
  
But a few seconds later, Manny could see a figure running out from behind the hospital, but they were running from the opposite side that Emma had entered. 'That was quick.' Manny thought, thinking it was Emma, back already. But she was wrong, the figure turned out to be none other than Sean. He ran closer, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Manny in front of him. The look in his eyes was fearful.  
  
"Sean?! What are you doing?!" Manny whispered sharply, so Paige wouldn't hear.  
  
"Nowhere. I just...heard the bus stop was around here."  
  
"I – it is. It's over there." Manny pointed near the street, confused.  
  
Without saying another word. Sean began to run toward the street corner, but something fell out of his jacket. It was a gun. Manny couldn't help but gape at it. She backed up and turned to Sean, then looked once more at the weapon. Sean quickly bent down to pick it up and then shot back up with it.  
  
"Sean! What the hell –"  
  
"Manny, you don't understand. Look, do you remember last night, when you ran into me after the party...you know, ended?"  
  
Manny tried really hard to remember. She knew she had said something to him...but she was too drunk to remember. Sean could tell she was having a hard time, so he refreshed her memory. "Look, long story short – I told you, Jay was looking for me. He still is. And this isn't my gun. I took from him, okay? I had to. They were gonna –"  
  
"W- wait, didn't you call Emma?"  
  
Sean stared at her, not knowing what to say. Eventually, he remembered that he was on the run, and began to dash out of the parking lot and down to where the bus was about to pull up. Manny was so shocked, she couldn't even make herself get on this bus that she had been waiting for, for so long. 'Oh, god, what do I do? I can't report it...but I have to. What if Jay gets it back? Oh, god, why did I have to witness this?' On instinct, Manny got out her cell phone and called the police.  
  
END OF FLASHBACK  
  
"...so later, they came, and that's when you came back. But you do know I never said his name, right?"  
  
Emma was completely shocked. "So...it was all just to protect himself?"  
  
"Of course...what did you think, he was gonna kill everyone in the school or something?"  
  
"No...I didn't know what to think." Emma paused. For some reason, she felt sadder than ever right now. "Forget it."  
  
Manny looked confused. "Forget what?"  
  
"I mean, forget, just, all of this. I'm sick of fighting with you. I don't even know why this is happening anymore."  
  
Suddenly, the bell rang, and neither one of the girls was even close to being ready for class. But they didn't care. "I know." Manny hesitantly agreed.  
  
(A/N: hmmm...weird ending to the chapter, I guess. Well, review more and i'll update! Thanks for your last reviews, by the way!) 


	23. Reality Checks

The first few hours of the day surprisingly went by quickly. However, lunch did not. It turned out to be a disaster for most people. First off, Manny walked into the cafeteria, buried in humiliation. Many kids were whispering about her and laughing about the fact that she got drunk at the party. Tons of rumors were spreading about her (in addition to the previous ones about her and Craig).  
  
The tough part was, she didn't know where to sit. Normally, she would hang around Paige or some of her other popular friends. But they probably didn't care about her anymore and Paige was obviously still mad at her. But then a light of relief came to Manny. She could sit with Emma! After all, they did sort of have a bonding moment earlier. At least, that's how Manny felt. After paying the lunch lady, Manny took her tray and began to walk over to Emma and Chris at a table. However, Toby beat her to them. What was he doing there? Usually he sits with...  
  
'Oh.' Manny thought. He usually sits with JT. For some reason, she had completely forgotten about that. Now that she thought about it, sometimes she sat with JT. He was the only one still being nice to her. But Manny knew she had taken advantage of that when she ditched him for alcohol at the party. 'God, everything screwed up at that party. The party, the party, the party, ugh! How can one stupid event like that ruin my life so bad?'  
  
Over at Emma's table, she was pretty bored. She wished JT were here. She wished she had visited him longer. But it was too late. Now, she was stuck with Toby at her table. She really didn't want him there, but she felt bad for him since he had no one to sit with because of...well, JT, of course. This was so weird. It was like everyone had to depend on JT for everything. Emma looked past some other tables and saw Manny walking around, trying to find somewhere to sit. Eventually, that smile of her's came back as she was waved over to sit with some grade elevens. Emma sighed. For some strange reason, she kind of felt disappointed. She was still angry at Manny, no doubt about it. But she felt like yelling, 'Hey, you can sit with me you know! Remember, me? Emma Nelson? Yeah, I still exist! And I still care about you!' Emma couldn't believe what she just thought. 'I still care about Manny? Why should I? She doesn't care about me, she's been a total jerk to me all weekend, and what was up with this morning?' Actually, Emma still really didn't get what happened that morning. She wasn't sure if it was a fight, breaking their friendship some more or if it was a really weird apology. 'If it wasn't for that dumb party, none of this would have happened.'  
  
And finally, Paige sat down with Hazel and Jimmy. Thankfully, Spinner didn't have this lunch. Paige had no idea how she would have survived if he were here today. But she did have to face him in Media Immersion next class. That made Paige's stomach churn. 'How could I have been so stupid? God, I always take everything out on him – why is that?' she thought.  
  
"Paige, earth to Paige." Hazel said as she waved a hand in front of the blonde's face.  
  
Paige looked up, realizing she had been way too engrossed in her own thoughts. "Oh, sorry, what?"  
  
"So what's the deal, are you feeling better?"  
  
"Feeling b – oh, um, yeah, fine."  
  
"Did you ever find out what it was that was making you sick?"  
  
"No."  
  
"It was probably that disgusting punch. It made me gag like three times –"  
  
"Hazel! I have a headache, can you please stop talking?"  
  
Taken aback, Hazel looked at Jimmy and then got up to throw the remains of her lunch away. Jimmy scooted over to be directly in front of Paige. "So...I guess you're not feeling better."  
  
"What is this, the third degree?! Can't you guys just leave me alone?"  
  
"Paige." Jimmy looked at her. "Spin told me what happened. I know what Manny did."  
  
Paige sighed with an aggravated tone. "Great, then I guess he also told you everything else."  
  
Jimmy paused. "Look, all I know is that if you can't forgive him –"  
  
"Forgive him for what? He didn't do anything, I know that!"  
  
"Well, he says he told JT about what you did –"  
  
"Jimmy, do you know what quit while you're ahead means?! Just leave the subject alone, you're the only one at that party that had a good time! It's not my fault Spinner talked to JT!" Paige was amazed. Especially at how Jimmy can stay so calm while she's...not so calm.  
  
"At least he talked to him at all." Jimmy said. With that, he stood up and left Paige all alone. Still in shock, Paige brushed her hand through her hair and angrily sat at the empty table, watching the rest of the kids in the cafeteria leave to the sound of the bell ringing.  
  
(A/N: i hope that chapter wasn't boring or anything! It was kind of to get in the characters' heads a little and see what they were thinking. But just to let you all know, i'm going on vacation tomorrow and won't be back until next Friday, the 23rd. I'm sorry, but that's why i updated today! I promise i'll update as soon as i can when i get back! Keep reviewing =)) 


	24. Paige Finally Talks

(A/N: yup, i'm finally back! Sorry you had to wait so long, but here's an update now.)  
  
Paige couldn't think the rest of the day. She didn't know what to do about this entire situation. But she did know that she definitely did not want to run into Spinner. She had no idea what she would say to him. However, as she made her way through the hall, she realized she was about to find out.  
  
Spinner closed his locker and began to walk to his next class. Usually, he'd be with Craig or Jimmy...or with Paige, of course. He was never really alone when he walked to class. But now he was. Being alone herself, Paige found the courage to approach him and say,  
  
"Need someone to walk with?"  
  
Spinner just looked at her, not knowing what to do. Eventually, he just kind of turned back into the direction he was walking and said, "Okay..."  
  
Hesitantly, Paige followed beside him. "Um, look, about what I did yesterday..." she trailed off, expecting Spinner to interrupt her. But he didn't. She was stuck. "Uh, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry." Paige stopped and stood in front of Spinner, as he stopped as well.  
  
Not knowing what to say, Spinner just let her continue, while putting on that typical confused face of his.  
  
Paige did continue. "I sort of...let my emotions get to me and, you didn't deserve any of that." She paused. "And it's my own fault that I didn't talk to JT first. You didn't do anything wrong."  
  
Currently in awe, Spinner began to speak. "Um, okay...thanks." Somehow, he still seemed both concerned and confused. Feeling let down, Paige prepared to walk away, but was stopped with a simple question from Spinner.  
  
"Do you wanna visit JT...after school?"  
  
A few halls down, Emma walked into the computer lab, getting ready for class early. She had been early to class all day. She felt like a dork, but she had no other choice. But there was a small twist this time – Manny came in to join her.  
  
"Hey." she said plainly as she set her things down.  
  
Emma just looked up at her, not saying anything.  
  
Manny fidgeted around with her books, wanting to say something. Eventually, she turned her chair and did just that. "I – I saw you with Chris, earlier. At lunch." This seemed to get Emma's attention. There was a slight pause. Manny continued. "Did you guys make-up, or something?"  
  
"Why do you care?"  
  
Manny looked taken aback. "Um, no reason." Getting the hint that she was not wanted in a conversation, she turned back to her things.  
  
After about a ten second silence, Emma said, "He talked to Sean."  
  
Manny whipped around and faced Emma. "What?"  
  
Emma nodded. "He was asking him if everything I said was true...and thankfully, he didn't deny it." Emma took a deep breath. "But he did tell him something else. Something he didn't tell you or me."  
  
Manny was intrigued. "What was it?"  
  
"He's in trouble with Jay because...he hurt some gang member from Bardell, but lead everyone else on that Jay did it."  
  
This was unbelievable. It seemed really questionable to Manny. "Wh – why? That's – wait, why did he tell all of this to Chris?"  
  
"I don't know, but he really shouldn't have..."  
  
Manny paused. "Why?"  
  
Emma looked directly at Manny. "Because some people overheard, and reported Jay to Mr. Raditch."  
  
Manny's eyes widened. She knew this couldn't be good. "Oh, god, Sean's in trouble."  
  
(A/N: man, this is getting longer and more insane by the minute! Please review!) 


	25. Shocks and Surprises

(A/N: I know, i took another long break. sorry! I've just been really busy all week! Well, now it's time to continue!)  
  
Sean walked out of his last class and toward his locker. The whole day had been a complete bore and a complete scare. He hadn't seen Jay all day, which made him wonder what he was doing. However, his question was about to be answered.  
  
A bunch of kids in the hallway had run outside to see something. Wondering what all of the commotion was, Sean walked out there as well.  
  
What he saw shocked him, even though he knew it shouldn't. There was a police car. And Jay was being taken into it. As he finally sat down in the back, with his hands in handcuffs, he glared at Sean right before the cops closed the door in front of him. All Sean could do was stand still and stay silent. However, his thoughts were running at a mile a minute. He was angrier than ever.  
  
Just then, Emma and Manny ran out to see what was going on. They were both totally clueless. They could barely see the police car over the huge crowd of people. But they both immediately figured it out when Sean angrily came walking over to Emma.  
  
"You told."  
  
Emma was not expecting to see Sean at all. "T – told what?"  
  
Sean's voice grew louder. "You told, about Jay! Now what do you think he's gonna do to me?!"  
  
"Sean, he's probably going to juvenile hall –"Manny broke in.  
  
"No, he WON'T. Because he always finds a way to get out of anything he gets into."  
  
Emma had a bad feeling in her stomach. She knew she could easily tell Sean that it wasn't her that reported Jay. But for some reason she didn't. It was like she couldn't find the words to use.  
  
"I hope you're happy. You got your revenge." Sean said firmly. The crowd began to disappear as the police car slowly began to drive away. Emma closely watched it leave. She didn't even notice Sean leave. Manny, however, stayed by her side and waited for the car to leave the entire area.  
  
Meanwhile, school was let out about an hour later, and Paige and Spinner were ready to visit JT. They had eventually pulled up into the hospital parking lot.  
  
Paige put the car into park. But she just continued to sit in the driver's seat, thinking.  
  
Spinner turned to her. "Do you still wanna do this?"  
  
Reluctantly, Paige nodded and managed to say, "Yeah." She paused. "Yeah, I think so."  
  
Up in JT's hospital room, the nurse had just finished removing one of his bandages. "You're getting better by the minute, JT. This is looking good."  
  
"Thanks." JT replied. He was incredibly happy about this, but his expression didn't show it. He was just too bored of this hospital. He wanted to get out.  
  
Right then, there was a knock on his door. The nurse rushed over to answer it. Once she opened it, she saw none other than Paige and Spinner.  
  
"Um, hi. We're here to visit JT Yorke...?"  
  
The nurse smiled and gladly let Paige in. But she stopped Spinner. "You, however, may not come in."  
  
Spinner tried to joke his way out of this by smiling and saying "Ah, I see you remember me..."  
  
The nurse sarcastically said, "Hm, yes, I do remember you as the young man who pushed his way through to break into this very room, bothering this poor young boy?"  
  
"I wasn't bothering him. I was –"  
  
"No, it's okay. He can come in." JT interrupted.  
  
The nurse hesitated, but moved aside and eventually let Spinner inside. "If there's any trouble, you let me know." she said as she left the room, closing the door behind her.  
  
JT rolled his eyes.  
  
"Geez, how psycho is she?" Spinner asked.  
  
Paige was not in the joking mood. "Spin." she said as she looked directly at him.  
  
JT looked up at Paige during the following awkward silence. "So...Paige, how are you doing?  
  
Paige sat down. "It doesn't matter how I'm doing, what's going on with you?" she asked very concerned.  
  
"Well, I got another bandage off today so I'll probably get out by the end of the week."  
  
Paige's eyes widened. "W – what if you don't?"  
  
"What do you mean, if I don't get out?"  
  
"Just...then it'll be the summer and I'll never see you."  
  
Spinner broke in. "He's gonna be fine."  
  
Looking directly at her, JT said "Paige, um, Spinner told me something, the other day and..."  
  
Paige looked down. She was humiliated. She had hoped this wouldn't come up. "I know."  
  
Surprised, JT said, "You do?"  
  
"Um, JT. It's not my fault. It was M –"  
  
Paige quit talking when she saw Spinner giving her a signal to stop.  
  
JT turned and looked at Spinner, then back at Paige. "What?"  
  
Paige said nothing.  
  
JT continued. "What is it, Paige? What aren't you guys telling me now?"  
  
Paige sighed. She looked up at Spinner. "I don't care, I'm saying it anyway." she muttered quickly. She looked directly back at JT. "JT, Manny put a drug in my drink, that's why I hit you!"  
  
Just realizing what she had said, Paige shut her mouth and looked back at Spinner. But he didn't know what to do either. The couple just looked at JT, waiting for a response.  
  
However, JT said the most shocking thing they had heard all day. "I know."  
  
(A/N: gasp! How does JT know? Well, you're just gonna have to read and review a lot to find out! Don't worry, i'll give a sooner update hopefully.) 


	26. All of This Really Happened

(A/N: thanks for the awesome reviews!)

Paige couldn't find the words to say. She kept opening her mouth, trying to look for the right words to say, but they were lost. She couldn't find them. Spinner however, spoke.

"What are you talking about, JT? No, you don't..."

"Yeah, I do, actually." JT could tell that the couple was totally lost, so he decided to let them know what was going on here. "Okay, remember last weekend when you came in here, Spinner?"

Spinner nodded, still confused.

"Well," JT continued. "Emma was in here right before you. I told you that right? And...this is what happened..."

FLASHBACK

Emma approached JT's hospital bed closer. "Look, there's something I really, need, to tell you."

JT waited as Emma paused. "I'm sorry." she said. "I am truly, really, incredibly, sorry. I shouldn't have gotten mad at you and I know it was my fault it all happened –"

"Wait, what? Em, it wasn't your fault."

"Yes, it was!" Emma claimed as she sat down. "It was all because of me that you were left standing there in the middle of a road!"

"It could have happened anyway."

"No, you were just going home and I screwed everything up."

"Just tell me one thing, Emma." JT hesitated. "Who...who hit me?"

Emma froze. Of course she knew, but how could she tell him who it really was? 'Oh yeah, the love of your love accidentally ran over you. She looked high on something too.' Emma thought sarcastically. 'Yeah right.'

"I don't know." she finally said.

JT didn't want to fight Emma, so he just stayed quiet. He felt weak enough already.

But Emma quickly seemed to change her mind. Forgetting everything she had just said, she let the words come out. "Wait, actually...I might know." she hesitated.

JT was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"I mean...um, okay, this isn't so easy..." Emma felt terrible saying this, but being her natural self, she just had to tell him. "The person who hit you...it wasn't their fault." Emma paused. "Manny put a drug in their drink."

END OF FLASHBACK

"EMMA told you?!" Paige practically shouted.

JT said nothing.

Paige continued. "Oh, well, th – that's just great. I bet everyone knows. I bet everyone found out before me, huh?"

"Paige..." Spinner tried to break in.

Paige grabbed her jacket and began to walk out. "Who cares, it's just some stupid..party..." she muttered as she left the room and closed the door behind her.

With a slam of the door, Spinner and JT watched intensely. They couldn't bring themselves to say anything, to do anything, or to think anything. All they knew was that they just couldn't believe all of this. They couldn't believe all of this had happened in just one weekend. All because of the party.

The End

(A/N: Yup, that's the end! Well, I was gonna hafta end this story sooner or later. Anyway, if you think I should make a sequel, just say so, in your review. But I can't guarantee it'll happen so soon. I'm really busy lately. But I'm so glad you enjoyed the story! Thanks for reading!)


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